Vacuum breaking device



g- 25, 1964 H. H. PELZER VACUUM BREAKING DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1960 INVENTOR. HHROLD H. PELZER HTTORNEYS United States Patent 3,145,724 VACUUM BREAKING DEVICE Harold H. Pelzer, Long Isiand City, N.Y., assignor to Harry Karp, Harrison, N.Y. Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 68,984 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-217) This invention relates to vacuum breaking valves and particularly to a simple and improved construction for a vacuum breaking valve that can be easily included in a fluid carrying, line.

Vacuum breaking valves, of the general type herein of concern are widely utilized in liquid supply systems to prevent back siphoning or flow reversal whenever an operational variant causes a vacuum to be produced in the supply system.

Such units conventionally include a movable valve member normally positioned out of the liquid flow path by the pressure of the liquid itself and displaceable into liquid line sealing'relationship by atmospheric pressure, often supplemented by an auxiliary biasing member, in the event of a vacuum creating pressure drop therein intermediate the valve member and the liquid source. Units as so constructed do not operate to break the vacuum but rather serve to interpose a mechanical seal intermediate the vacuum in the supply line and the possibly contaminated liquid subject to back siphonage. Many of the conventionally employed units as above described are of a relatively elaborate construction, incorporating a plurality of moving parts, all of which are subject to malfunction.

This invention may be briefly described as a simple and improved construction for a vacuum breaking valve incorporating a minimum number of moving parts and adapted to prevent back siphonage by breaking the vacuum causing or tending to cause the same.

The object of this invention is the provision of a simple, inexpensive and improved construction for vacuum breaking valves.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings which disclose, by way of illustrative example, the principles underlying this invention and a presently preferred construction incorporating those principles.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an elbow assembly incorporating the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on. line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, similar to FIGURE 2 showing the positioning of the valve member in open position; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES l to 3 there is provided a vacuum breaking valve assembly in the form of an elbow type coupling and incorporating the principles of this invention. As illustrated, the elbow assembly is formed of a cast or forged body portion shaped to provide a fluid inlet port 12 connected by suitable internally disposed liquid conduit passages 14 and 16 to an outlet port 18. The body portion 10 is suitably externally threaded as at 20, 22, respectively, adjacent the ports 12 and 18 for connection of the unit in a water supply line. As will later become apparent the inlet and outlet ports are reversible, thus facilitating installation and avoiding the hazard of inoperability in the event of incorrect installation. Disposed above the junction of 3,145,724 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 the passages 14 and 16 and in fluid communication therewith by means of the terminal aperture 24 is an integral and enlarged valve assembly housing member 26 defining a chamber 28. The housing member 26 is internally threaded, as at 30, and the dependent portion of the chamber 28 defined thereby is provided with sloping shoulders 32 which terminate at the aperture 24 and provide a seat for the dependent end of contained spring member 34.

Internally mounted in the upper end of the chamber 28 in threaded engagement with the housing member threads 30 is a flanged bushing 36 having an exposed axial bore 38 of a cross-sectional area at least twice that of the fluid inlet passage 14 and the liquid supply line and serving as an air inlet port. The joint intermediate the bushing 36 and the valve assembly housing member 26 is sealed by interposition of a sealing washer 40. The dependent peripheral shoulder 42 of the bushing 36 serves as a valve seat for a displaceable valve member. ,The valve member includes a sealing disk 44 of deformable material mounted on the upper surface of a plunger member 46 having a plurailty of separated guide legs 48 dependent from the periphery thereof; The sealing disk 44 and plunger member 46 are dimensioned so as to have an outside diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the chamber 28 as defined by the screw threads 30 so as to be freely longitudinally displaceable therewithin without cocking or skewing during each displacement and to readily permit air flow thereby when the valve member is in its open position. The sealing disk 44 is normally biased against the undersurface of the bushing shoulder 42 by a very light pressure applied by the spring member 34, the dependent end of which is supported by the shoulders 32 and the upper end of which abuts the undersurface of the plunger member 46.

In operation, the unit is connected in a water or other liquid supply line in such manner that liquid flows, under pressure, from the source thereof through the inlet port 12 through the conduit passages 14 and 16 and outward through the outlet port 18 to the point of utilization thereof. Such liquid pressure supplements the biasing pressure supplied by the spring member 34 and maintains the sealing disk 44 disposed in pressure tight sealing relation against the bushing shoulder 42. Upon the occurrence of an operational variant creating a vacuum or pressure drop intermediate the inlet port 12 and the liquid source, the atmospheric pressure operating on the upper and exposed surface of the sealing disk 44 displaces said disk and plunger 46 downwardly against the biasing action of the spring 34, limited by engagement of the dependent ends of the legs 48 with the terminal shoulders 32. With the displaceable valve assembly downwardly displaced, air flows into the conduit 14 and hence into the liquid supply line via the bushing bore 38, through the space intermediate the sealing disk 44 and the bushing shoulder 42, through the space intermediate the dependent legs 48 on the plunger 46 and the side wall of the chamber 28, including the thread recesses, and through the spaces intermediate the legs 48 themselves and through the terminal aperture 24. Such air breaks the vacuum in the supply and when the line pressure closely approximates that of the atmosphere, the spring 34 will return the sealing disk 44 into sealing engagement with the bushing shoulder 42. 7

As mentioned earlier, it is essential that the cross sectional area of the bushing bore 38 be at least twice that of the fluid inlet passage 14 and the liquid supply line to provide for substantially instantaneous breaking of the vacuum in the supply line and to preclude back fiow of liquid from the conduit 16 and points downstream thereof.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the herein described invention is of a simple inexpensive and eaasyaa eadily manufacturable construction, incorporating a minimum of moving parts that are subject to malfunction and provides a rapid and wholiy automatic action to prevent back siphonage by the direct breaking of the vacuurnetric condition that causes the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A vacuum breaking valve assembly comprising a first body portion shaped to provide a fluid communicatable conduit intermediate a fluid inlet opening normally subject to fluid pressures in excess of atmospheric pressure along its entire length and a fluid outlet opening, an integral second body portion shaped to provide a valve chamber having one end thereof disposed in constant fiuid communication with said conduit and a second end open to the atmosphere, a bushing member removably mounted in the second end of said chamber defining an axial bore, a valve member positioned within said chamber normally disposed in sealing relation with the bore defining peripheral edge of said bushing against the action of atmospheric pressure by the fluid pressure within said conduit to close the end of said valve chamber open to the atmosphere and an auxiliary spring member disposed within said valve chamber normally biasing said valve member into sealing relationship with the bore defining edge of said bushing against atmospheric pressure, said valve member being displaceable out of sealing relationship with the bore defining peripheral edge of said bushing member to permit air iloW therepast in response to a predetermined pressure in said conduit less than that of atmospheric pressure.

2. The vacuum breaking valve assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cross sectional area of said bore is at least twice the cross sectional area of the portion of the conduit disposed intermediate said inlet opening and the point of fluid communication of said valve chamber therewith.

3. A vacuum breaking valve assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the dependent end of said auxiliary spring member is disposed in supported abutting engagement by the base of said valve chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 204,135 Convery May 28, 1878 628,061 Ayres July 4, 1899 926,968 Stickdorn July 6, 1909 1,326,358 MacGregor Dec. 30, 1919 2,102,848 Kocour Dec. 21, 1937 2,159,056 Sloan May 23, 1939 2,601,563 Selwyn June 24, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 635,513 Germany Sept. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,145,724 August 25, 1964 Harold H Pelzer It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line ll, strike out "and a fluid outlet opening" and insert the same after "opening" in line 9, same column 3.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of April 1965.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A VACUUM BREAKING VALVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FIRST BODY PORTION SHAPED TO PROVIDE A FLUID COMMUNICATABLE CONDUIT INTERMEDIATE A FLUID INLET OPENING NORMALLY SUBJECT TO FLUID PRESSURES IN EXCESS OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH AND A FLUID OUTLET OPENING, AN INTEGRAL SECOND BODY PORTION SHAPED TO PROVIDE A VALVE CHAMBER HAVING ONE END THEREOF DISPOSED IN CONSTANT FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONDUIT AND A SECOND END OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE, A BUSHING MEMBER REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN THE SECOND END OF SAID CHAMBER DEFINING AN AXIAL BORE, A VALVE MEMBER POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER NORMALLY DISPOSED IN SEALING RELATION WITH THE BORE DEFINING PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BUSHING AGAINST THE ACTION OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BY THE FLUID PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CONDUIT TO CLOSE THE END OF SAID VALVE CHAMBER OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND AN AUXIALIARY SPRING MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID VALVE CHAMBER NORMALLY BIASING SAID VALVE MEMBER INTO SEALING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BORE DEFINING EDGE OF SAID BUSHING AGAINST ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, SAID VALVE MEMBER BEING DISPLACEABLE OUT OF SEALING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BORE DEFINING PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BUSHING MEMBER TO PERMIT AIR FLOW THEREPAST IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE IN SAID CONDUIT LESS THAN THAT OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. 